Gordon Haskell

Even before its commercial release in the UK in late 2001, Gordon Haskell’s eloquent, jazz-tinged ballad "How Wonderful You Are" surpassed the Beatles’ "Hey Jude" and Frank Sinatra’s "My Way" to become the single most-requested song on BBC Radio 2. The song, which was recorded live in the studio for a paltry $300, enchanted listeners with its powerful message and sparse, dynamic production. "Lyrically," says Haskell, "it's about the hidden potential of every human being on the planet." Musically, the song is distinguished by the elegant, understated backdrop of guitar, bass, brushed drums, and sax supporting Haskell’s resonant, soulful vocal. "How Beautiful You Are" and its parent album Harry’s Bar sounds like nothing else on the pop charts these days, and that’s precisely why it has endeared itself to so many.

Gordon Haskell

As "How Wonderful You Are" scaled the UK charts, the British press gravitated towards the beguiling story of its unsung creator. Since the late 1960s, Gordon Haskell has been on the fringes of the English music scene. He shared a flat with Jimi Hendrix, played bass in the cult psychedelic faves the Fleur De Lys, and eventually found himself as the lead singer in childhood friend Robert Fripp’s King Crimson for two albums. Unfortunately, Haskell’s love for classic Nat King Cole and Ray Charles sides soon found him unhappy and frustrated in Fripp’s prog-rock confines. He auditioned for Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun, which lead to Ertegun producing Haskell’s 1972 solo album It Is and It Wasn’t. While not a commercial success, the disk remains a sought-after collectable to die-hard British pop fans.

The seventies progressed, and Haskell found himself playing supporting stints with Cliff Richards and Tim Hardin – both of which were short-term propositions. Haskell arrived at the doorstep of the 1980s deeply in debt and dissatisfied with the music business. He left for Denmark in 1984, playing "seven nights a week to drunks in bars." His debt eventually eliminated, he returned to England and continued playing solo and small-band gigs in tiny pubs and clubs. "I was trapped," Haskell recalls, "but the time wasn't wasted. I was practicing. I was in the wilderness for a long time. But I met a lot of really interesting characters in bars, and that's where my songs tend to come from. I was self-contained, self-supporting, and I didn't really have anything to do with the recording industry."

Eventually, Haskell was approached by manager Ian Brown about possible recording opportunities. Haskell accepted, but with a key reservation. He wanted to make his record the old-fashioned way: live, no overdubs, and grounded in solid songwriting and classically styled performances. His refreshingly honest attitude, coupled with the worn grace of his voice and the poignancy of his songs made "How Wonderful You Are" a surprise Christmas-time hit throughout the United Kingdom. As a result, Haskell was offered a multi-million dollar recording contract from the UK label East/West Records.

Gordon Haskell’s interprets his recent, hard-won success with the measured credence of an old pro. "Suddenly, after all these years, there's all this attention. But I've been living on skid row for so long that if I make a million now, it's back pay." Instead of fretting about fortune and chasing celebrity, Haskell is still more concerned with perfecting his craft as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. "Look at someone like James Taylor, who just continues to get better and better," he says. "If I keep on practicing for the next 20 years, I'm going to be fantastic."